Forerunners

Forerunners

St. John 1:1-11

In this text we find that the scripture describes the contrast of the Lord being light and the world being darkness. The word light translates to show or reveal something, and the word darkness translates to obscure or not seen or noticed or even confused. You see and that is exactly the case the world in all of its knowledge and worldly wisdom was ignorant to God and their sin problem they could not perceive or understand God not his word. So the bible says that the light came to reveal or the expose what was in the darkness and the bible says that the darkness comprehended it not. The world had been consumed by the darkness for so long and had been rocked to sleep if you will ignorant of the truth and the light that dwelt among them.

Then came John the Baptist the bible says in which bore witness of the light, the bible says he was not that light but was sent to bear witness of the light. John the Baptist was in a way like a night watchmen or some what like the cock that crows in the dusk. When the world was asleep in darkness unknowing and unconscious to the things around them John the Baptist was the factor sent by God to shake mankind and to announce the coming of morning and the truth. He was in fact the forerunner of Christ the savior of the world but unless the world would awaken and open their eyes the light would show them nothing could reveal to them nothing and so John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ coming to awaken men that they might look toward the son rising in the darkness.

You may say how did the presence of John the Baptist in the world have any thing to do with the awakening of the world. It is just like when you or I are sound asleep and suddenly something in our position changes maybe the bed squeaks or a spring pokes you in the side or maybe you begin to drool on yourself and suddenly your comfort is interrupted and you are forced to take notice causing you to awaken, that is John the Baptist it was in fact his life of sacrifice that demanded their attention in a world of selfishness here was a man in which the bible says was clothed in camels hair and ate wild honey and locust the bible says he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Between his life of sacrifice and his zeal of God and the message that this witness this forerunner of Christ preached the world you see just could not get any sleep.

Parallel

How does this parallel with you and I? Christ has came and walked in this world and died and rose on the third day fulfilled all things just as he said he would do and now he lives not in the world but in the hearts of man and he would live in the heart of every man but there are some that just as then are ignorant to his coming and are fast asleep in the darkness of this world and tonight brother and sister you and I are witnesses of the light of the revelation that reveals and shows men the sin of their heart, we are witnesses of the truth and the life that Christ will come and give to them if only they will awaken from their sleep and see the light. We are the forerunners of Christ the night watchmen if you will that bear witness of the rising of the Son in the darkness. We are the forerunners of Christ to the hearts of our family, our friends, co-workers, even and most definitely the stranger, the widow and the fatherless. We must be the ones to shake and awaken the world in their sleep. To crow like the cock announcing the coming of morning. We are the forerunners of light, of truth, hope, of Christ.

Luke14:23 says,” go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come in. Make the world take notice live a life and preach the message in a way that compels people to take notice and see the light.

Math 28:19 says, “ Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Preach a message live a life that makes people want to observe what joy you have what peace you have what light you bare witness of.

What can we learn from John the Baptist?